**Tai-Ex opening **

The Tai-Ex opened down 59-points this morning from yesterday's close, at

17,106 on turnover of $4.5-billion N-T.

The Tai-Ex closed slightly higher on Thursday, despite investor sentiment

remaining cautious during the current earnings season pushing turnover down.

Analysts say the market moved in a narrow range for the much of the trading

day. as buying in old economy and financial sectors helped offset losses

suffered by large cap tech stocks in the semiconductor industry.

**Government to Donate US$2.5million to help Kyiv Build Bridge **

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the government has pledged a donation of

2.5-million U-S dollars toward the construction of a bridge in the Ukrainian

capital of Kyiv.

According to the ministry, the bridge will connect (連接) Obolonksy Island

with the city.

The pledged donation will be given to the charitable fund, Future Kyiv.

That organization has been designated by the Kyiv government, based on a

memorandum of understanding signed between Taiwan's Representative to Poland,

and the head of the fund earlier this week.

**US Senate Advances Bill on Supreme Court Ethics **

From the US…..

The Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced an ethics (道德) bill for Supreme

Court justices in the wake of a series of reports about Justice Clarence

Thomas's relationship with a wealthy Republican donor.

However, the legislation has little chance of being approved in the House or

the Senate.

US Correspondent Ira Spitzer has more.

**Brazil Homicides Fall but Attacks on Women Rise **

Researchers say the number of homicides in Brazil last year reached the

lowest level in more than a decade.

The Brazilian Forum on Public Safety is an independent group that tracks

national crime statistics.

It says in a report Thursday that about 47,500 people were killed in 2022,

which was down 2.4% from the previous year.

The downward trend has come amid a sharp rise in the number of firearms

circulating (散佈,) in Brazil.

Experts have come up with at least three factors to explain the dual trend,

including a relative truce among gangs since 2018.

On other violence, the report says that while homicides fell last year,

violent attacks on women rose and there was a record number of rapes.

**Bolivia Lithium Resource Estimates Increased **

Bolivia’s president says the Andean country's total lithium (鋰) resources

have increased 2 million tons to a total of 23 million tons.

The new estimate released Thursday further cements Bolivia’s position as the

country with the most lithium resources in the world.

Bolivia is stepping up its search for international partners to help develop

its lithium reserves amid soaring global demand for the metal used in

batteries for electric vehicles.

Previous estimates placed Bolivia’s lithium resources at 21 million tons.

That was the I.C.R.T. news,

Check in again tomorrow for our simplified version of the news, uploaded

every day in the afternoon.

Enjoy the rest of your day, I'm _____.

--

Hosting provided by SoundOn